A number of thought-provoking differences between U.S. and foreign schools are explored in this piece. I particularly support the idea that we need to expand career and technical education. Sigh. Here’s the section that made my spirits sink, though:

Of the top performers they studied, Takumi says, “all of them invest in early education.” Ontario, for example, offers free, full-day kindergarten not only to 5-year-olds but to 4-year-olds too.

The differences continue once America’s disadvantaged students reach first grade. There, they’re often in poorer schools with low-performing teachers.

What defines a low-performing teacher nowadays? Mostly — in some areas exclusively — low test scores. Want to be a high performing teacher? Come work where I live in this comfy suburb that was 88% white-collar when I last checked. You are guaranteed to perform well.

As the title says, low-performing kids do not equate to low-performing teachers. When we base evaluations and teacher assessments on test scores, though, that label may be attached to teachers who are working their hearts out to try to rescue kids who reached kindergarten without knowing their letters, colors, numbers or shapes.

We are too quick to blame teachers when students cannot “perform.”